By the end of the game, Brunson had done something no Knicks player had accomplished in nearly three decades. His 14 assists were the most by a New York player in a postseason game since Charlie Ward recorded 14 in 1998. That statistic says a lot about where the Knicks are right now.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cavs star Donovan Mitchell is driving, shooting and scoring like usual, but — wait, did you see that? Mitchell was running weird on that last trip down the court. He lacked explosion on the latest drive and lift on his most recent jumper.

The New York Knicks turned a tight playoff fight into a comfortable road win on Friday, pulling away after halftime to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 108-94 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Philadelphia. Jalen Brunson ran the show with 33 points and nine assists as New York’s defense and depth shoved the Sixers into a 3-0 series hole.

The heart of the New York Knicks showed out on the stat sheet tonight, on why he is important. Josh Hart had a career playoff-high 26 points, and Madison Square Garden erupted with a standing ovation.

The Sixers made some inroads against the talent discrepancy between themselves and the New York Knicks in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Can they close the gap further?

To truly appreciate Josh Hart’s impact on the game for the Knicks, you have to look past just his stats and actually watch what Hart does on the court.

Jalen Brunson scored 17 of his game-high 38 points during the final eight minutes of regulation and overtime Tuesday night for the host New York Knicks, who mounted their biggest comeback in playoff history by ​overcoming a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in Game 1 of ‌the Eastern Conference finals.